Pack opening machine



July 26, 1932. D. BUCCICONE 1,868,624

PACK OPENING MACHINE Filed Oct. 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 92007 807:awe/0 fivcc/c-o/v s,

July 26, 1932- D. BUCCICONE 1,868,524

PACK OPENING MACHINE Filed Oct. 25-, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jnvenfox'Patented July 26, 1932 I UNITED'STATES DARIO BU'CCICONE, or GARY,INDIANA PACK oriinme ma ma This invention relates to pack openingInachines and has for (meet its objects the provision of a machine ofthis class which will H, thoroughly flex a-nd'work a hot rolled pack Tof metal sheets so as toopen or separate the several sheetsot the packwithout marking 'or otherwise damaging the sheets.

. Another object is to prov-idea machine in which thefeed-out"pinch-rollers aremaintained out of pinching engagement with thepack while the pack is in the bite of the feedin pinch-rollers, therebymaterially reducing the power required to operate the machine. In thedrawings i Figure l-is a plan ota pack openingmachine constructed inaccordance with thisinvention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line q II-II of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 2 designatesthebase of the machine which supports a pair of spaced side housings 3provided 'with'windows or bearing guideways & and 5 adjacent theentering and discharge sides of'the' machine, respectively. A. pairofbearing blocks 6 and 7 are slidably mounted in each of said guidewaysand pinch-rollers 8 and 9 are journaled in thebearing block's attheentering side of the machine, while pinch-rollers 10 and 12 arejournaled in, the bearingblocksat the discharge or exit side 0t themachine. I

Thetopbearing blocks 6 and the: pinchrollers 8 and 10 j ournaled thereinare normal- 1y resiliently held against vertical displace- 'ment bymeans. of stiff links 13 which are 'pivotally connected to the topbearingblocks and to levers 14 which extend parallel to the M top faceof each housing The lBVBiSfll are pivoted to'brackets 15 at the enteringside ofeachhousing3 and their other ends are provided with lugs 16 whichengage coiled springs 17 mounted in spring-retaining cups "18 carriedbybrackets 19. The springs 17 are adjustable by followers 20 andset-screws 21. The ends of the levers 14 have their free ends connectedby a cross-bar '22.

In operation,when a pack of sheets enters the bite of the pinch-rollers8 and-9 the top roller 8 will be'forc'ed to move upwardly "a Applicationfiled October "25, 1930. Serial No. 491,286.

distance equal to the thickness otthe pack;

This movementofthe toprroller 8 is communicated through the stifilinks'13 to'the levers 14 which, due to their length,' will,

multiply such movement and lift the top pinchroller 10 through the stifflinks 13 I against the pressure'ofth'e springs '17.

' 'The'amount of movement or lift imparted to the top pinch-roller 10will be materially greater than that imparted to the roller 8 by thepack so as to separate the pinch-rollers lO'and 12 a suflicient distanceto permit free passage of the packs therebetween while the pack is inthe biteof the rollers *8 and 9..

When the pack has moved from between-the rollers 8 and 9 the springs 17and gravity will force the levers 14 to drop and force the pinch-roller12 to bite the pack and'feed it out of the machine. 1

A pair of pack opening rolls are journaled 'in suitable bearings 26mounted in windows 27 in the housings 3 intermediate the pairs of pinchrollers. The bearings 26 are locked against vertical displacement bymeans of filler blocks 27 and cap pieces 2'7".

The .rolls '25 are fluted spirally so as to form alternatelongitudinally extending spiral grooves and blades 28 and-'29, respectively. The rolls 25 are spaced vertically so,,

"that the blades 29 ofone roll mesh withthe grooves '28-ofthe"otherroll, whereby a pack 'upon'bein'g fed into the bite of therolls-25 will be bent 'in alternate directions on a line "at an angle tothe longitudinal and transverse axis of the pack. This bending ofthepack will result in'breaki ng of the'bond be tween all of the sheets ofthe pack.

Due to the fact that only curvedsurfaces of the blades engage thepackand sueh [surfaces engage the' pack on anangle' and with 'a more orlessrubbingaction, as contrasted withthe beating action" of pack openersof this general class, the sheets of thepa'ck are not marred or markedand, therefore, are just as satisfactory as hand opened sheets;

" The pinch-rollers'8 and'9 and 10 and 12 are positioned clo'se to theopening rolls 25 so asi'to eliminate the necessity forguldes "betweenthe pinch-rollers and opening 'rolls thereby eliminating another causeofmarking the sheets in the machines heretofore generally used. \Vhenguides are used the sheets are bent down or up against the edges of theguides by the action of the heaters, bending or crimping rolls, and arethereby marked in such manner as to destroy their finish.

The pinch-rollers 8 and 9 and 10 and 12' are provided with long toothmeshed gears 35 and 36, respectively, at one end to cause the rollers ofeach pair to rotate together and the teeth of the gears are of such lenth that the gears will remain in mesh when the rollers are separated bythe packs passing therebetween. The shafts of the top rollers 8 and 10are extended beyond the gears and 36 and are provided with sprockets 37over which a drive chain 88 is trained to cause a simultaneous drive ofall the pinch-- rollers.

The roller 8 is provided with a gear 39 at its end opposite the gear 35which is meshed with a gear 40 of a worm and worm-wheel speed reducingunit 4-1 which is coupled to and operated by amotor 42.

The opening rolls 25 are provided with meshed gears 43 which cause saidrolls to rotate in unison and the top one of the rolls 25 has one of itsjournal ends extended and coupled to a motor 44,-.

It will be understood that if desired a single motor may be used todrive both the pinchrollers and opening rolls by connecting such motorto both the pinch-rollers and opening rolls through suitable gearing.

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of my inventionit will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto sincevarious modifications may be made without departing from the scope of myinvention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pack opening machine comprising a base, a pair of spaced sidehousings, vertically disposed guideways in said housings adjacent theentering and discharge sides thereof, hearings in said guideways, atleast the upper one of said hearings in each guideway being verticallyslidable in said guideway, entering pinch-rollers j ournaled in thebearings mounted in said guideways adjacent the entering side of themachine,disch arge pinchrollers j ournaled in the bearings in the otherpair of guideways adjacent the discharge side of the machine, means forautomatically raising the top roller of said discharge pinchrollers whena pack is entered between said entering pinch-rollers, said meanscomprising levers extending along the top of each of said housings andpivoted thereto adjacent the entering side of the machine, stiii linkspivotally secured to said levers adjacent the pivotally mounted endthereof and suspendingly supporting the upper bearings for the upperentering pinch-roller, other stiff links pivotally secured to saidlevers adjacent the free ends thereof and suspendingly sup porting theupper bearings for the upper discharge pinch-roller, spring means fornormally biasing the said levers and upper pinch-rollers downwardlytoward the lower pinch-rollers, and a pair of opening rolls journaled insaid housings intermediate said pairs of pinch-rollers.

2. A pack opening machine comprising a base, a pair of spaced sidehousings, vertically disposed guideways in said housings adjacent theentering and discharge sides thereof, bearings in said guideways, atleast the upper one of said hearings in each guideway being verticallyslidable in said guideway, entering pinch-rollers j ournaled in thebearings mounted in said guideways adjacent the entering side of themachine, discharge pinch-rollers journaled in the bearings in the otherpair of guideways adjacent the discharge side of the machine, means forauto- .matically raising the top roller of said discharge pinch-rollerswhen a pack is entered between said entering pinch-rollers, said meanscomprising levers extending along the top of each of said housings andpivoted thereto adjacent the entering side of the machine, stiii' linkssecured to said levers adjacent the pivotally mounted end thereof andsuspendingly supporting the upper bearing for the upper enteringpinch-roller, other stiff links secured to said levers adjacent the freeend thereof and suspendingly support ing the upper bearing for the upperdischarge pinch-roller, means for normally biasing said levers and upperpinch-rollers downwardly toward the lower pinch-rollers and a pair ofopening rolls journaled in said housings intermediate said pairs ofpinch-rollers, said pinch-rollers being positioned close to said openingrolls so as to feed the packs to and receive the packs from said rollswithout the aid of guides.

3. A pack opening machine comprising a base, a pair of spaced sidehousings, vertically disposed guideways in said housings adjacent theentering and discharge sides thereof, hearings in said guideways, atleast the upper one of said bearings in each guideway being verticallyslidable in said guideway, entering pinch-rollers j ournaled in thebearings mounted in said guideways adjacent the entering side of themachine, discharge pinch-rollers journaled in the bearings in the otherpair of guideways adjacent the discharge side of the machine, means forautomatically raising the top roller of said dis charge pinch-rollerswhen a pack is entered between said entering pinch-rollers, said meanscomprising levers extending along the top of each of said housings andpivoted thereto adjacent the entering side of the machine, stiif linkssecured to said levers admy hand.

DARIO BUCCICONE.

